The Tyrant Who Played Cupid
by animeg098
Summary: This is what happens when Akashi is forced to play matchmaker between a pair of stubborn idiots who just refuse to be honest with their feelings. AoKise. Cupid!Akashi. And an unwilling Midorima getting dragged along into the chaos that follows.
1. Chapter 1

**Story: **The Tyrant Who Played Cupid

**Author: **animeg

**Rating:** T. Might go up in the future.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and never will. If I did, then I wouldn't be on fanfiction, now would I?

**WARNING: This story contains yaoi, i.e. MaleXMale. Don't like it, don't read.**

* * *

Akashi Seijuro was, for the lack of a better word, a visionary.

He was a born leader, a dreamer; an idealist.

His plans, his aims, his ambitions were far beyond the imagination and comprehension of a normal middle school student.

To say the least, he was the kind of person who would do _anything_ to achieve his goal. Threatening, intimidating, plotting, monopolizing; he would do it all so as long as it assured him victory.

Winning, to him, came as natural as breathing itself.

"_Pass it here, Tetsu!"_

"_I got it! I got it!"_

_BAM_

"_Ouch! Aomine-cchi that hurt!"_

"_Kise, you bastard you ran into me!"_

He was a feared and respected captain, the leader of the infamous 'Generation of Miracles', the boy whose foresight and abilities had won them three championships in a row. Needless to say, he was a legend in the making.

However, like most aspiring leaders, Akashi needed followers; followers who would be dedicated, loyal, and most of all, obedient.

"_Ow! My foot! You did that on purpose, Aomine-cchi!"_

"_Did not!"_

Akashi was very lucky to have found himself a group of such individuals. Young students just like him, but excelling in physical abilities at such a rate that he, himself would sometimes be taken aback by their hefty progress.

And yet it was all to be expected. He had hand picked them himself, after all.

Tetsuya, Shintarou, Daiki, Ryouta, Atsushi. All of them were his pawns in this game of chess; his talented, outstanding generals that left the world around them gaping. They were all his responsibility, his property. His to control and manipulate.

They were his pride.

Despite what other people might think, he really did care for them deeply. Each and every one of them.

If they weren't performing their level best then it was his responsibility as their captain, as their puppeteer, as their _care taker_, to get them back on their game. Akashi wasn't a born leader for nothing.

His plans were unraveling right before him, just as he had predicted, just as he wanted.

There was just one stupid complication that he had not foreseen.

"_Dammit Kise, what the heck are you doing! How could you let Kuroko steal that ball so easily?!"_

"_I'm sorry!"_

These damned teenage hormones.

"All right! That's enough for today, hit the showers everyone. Good job."

Akashi Seijuro wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and took a deep breath, looking at his team mates as the coach dismissed players.

He could feel his eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

Today's practice session seemed more like an uncoordinated rugby match rather than a synchronized game of basket ball. Everyone was bumping into one another, stumbling at times, making foolish fouls and even missing passes.

It was intolerable.

And there was only one cause of it all.

A few feet away from him, an angry Midorima was berating a meek Kise for making them loose the practice game. Kise was bowing his head, apologizing profusely, but the green-haired teen was having none of it.

Aomine was on the other side of the court, high fiving Kuroko since they had won this time around because of Kise's careless passes and unexpected clumsiness.

Atsushi was retiring to the bench, quickly rummaging through his bag pack until he found a packet of chips. Soon enough he had ripped the plastic open and was no longer connected to the real rather lost in the tasty goodness melting on his tongue.

"Good job, Tetsu!" Aomine patted the smaller boy on the back, making the other stagger a bit forward from the force.

"That hurt Aomine-kun."

And in return, Kuroko was quick to jab the tanned ace in his side.

"Ow! Sorry, Tetsu. Let me make it up with a vanilla milkshake," And the blue-haired shadow's mood lightened up immediately.

And therein lay the problem itself.

From the corner of his eyes, Akashi could easily see a certain blonde model that had been worrying him for the past few days.

Kise had gone eerily quiet all of a sudden, his expression blank as he stared at the ace and the phantom sixth player as they made their way together away from the gym. Akashi could see as his eye brows drew together, and then, it was only for a split second, but a flicker of pain passed over Kise's face; an expression of bitterness and hopelessness; one of yearning and hurt. And then there was something else mixed into it as well.

Envy.

Akashi grimaced.

This wasn't according to plan.

Ryouta wasn't supposed to look at Daiki or Tetsuya with envy. He was supposed to admire them; that would effectually lead to more solidarity.

There were supposed to be no ill feelings in this team.

They were supposed to be one unbeatable unit.

"I'm going to get my bag and then we'll leave," Midorima finally having calmed down and taken all his rage out on Kise finally left the gym.

"Oh, okay. I'll be right there," Kise's offered the bespectacled teen an easy smile, but Akashi could easily see through that fake façade.

Kise's efficiency had been deteriorating since the past few weeks for some odd reason. Though the others hadn't noticed it; Akashi had. His eyes had allowed to him to see the smallest mistakes, the hesitant reactions, the distracted way Ryouta had been playing recently.

The blonde had been terribly unfocused, and although such misdemeanors won't affect practice that badly, in a real game, they could be hazardous. The other team would be quick to notice that something was off and wouldn't hesitate in taking advantage of it. Ryouta needed to be on top of his game.

Just like Akashi had suspected, Kise soon dropped the smile, his face turning impassive once again as he went for the benches to get his bag.

His inner turmoil was evident by the deadpan expression he wore, like he trying to hide his feelings behind a poker face and remain strong in front of the world despite being torn up inside.

Kise always tended to smile, even in the most precarious situations. He was like the fluffy ball of cheerfulness in the team. This demeanor of his was unnerving. And _not_ according to Akashi's plan.

Not to mention, Kise's emotional instability had been affecting his efficiency in basketball for the last few days.

_Unacceptable._

Akashi of course could easily tell what it was from the blonde's facial expressions. Ryouta was crushing on someone in the team, someone from that dynamic, inseparable duo.

It was probably Tetsuya.

The blonde would often cling to him in public and openly show his admiration for the blue haired teen. And though Akashi had always considered Tetsuya his exclusive property, he was willing to let it slide since Kise seemed in enough pain as it was.

Despite being deeply annoyed with the current development, Akashi had heard it before;

"_The heart wants what the heart wants."_

He couldn't as well stab Ryouta's heart with a scissor for going against his wishes and acting out of its own accord. After all, the blonde needed that thing to pump blood around his body.

Tripling his practice menu would do no good either. Akashi had initially tried that, but after a week of continuous punishment, even quadrupling the menu, Kise just wasn't mentally present when Aomine and Kuroko came in front of him together. He couldn't concentrate, and he would be staring at the two of them in the middle of a match, with the same stoic face that would resemble someone who was dying on the inside.

Like a scary zombie who just found out that he was undead.

Eventually, Akashi had to stop with the punishment since it wasn't working and Kise would definitely over exert himself and destroy his body if he kept it up.

Akashi had figured that maybe physical penalty wasn't the solution; maybe mental persuasion would be more effective.

So the only logical thing was to snap him out of it. Or at least tell him it was useless and that he did not approve of romantic relationships between the members of the team.

That hadn't been fruitful either though. Kise had, very cleverly, avoided the topic all together. It made Akashi suspect whether if this idiot was really a genius beneath that foolish demeanor of his. It was obvious that the blonde didn't want to talk to anyone about his feelings, even the notorious captain. And since he was set on keeping it to himself, Ryouta didn't let a breath of it to anyone.

First loves were like that, Akashi supposed. Making you feel insecure and helpless. Especially if they were unrequited.

Not that he'd really know, since he'd never experienced it. His only love was winning, after all.

And if anything stood between him and victory, he would crush it; crush it beneath his feet like a little cockroach.

The only thing that stood as a rival between Ryouta and his love was Daiki, and obviously, the blonde couldn't do anything about it. It must have been frustrating.

As Kise left, he bid farewell to his captain and the violet haired giant and after wards, Akashi could distinctly hear Midorima's agitated voice echoing through the hall ways and scolding Kise for being late.

Akashi narrowed his eyes as the blonde left, silently contemplating on how to deal with this situation.

How could he make Ryouta give up on Tetsuya?

"Kise-chin's got it bad," Murasakibara's voice interrupted Akashi's inner musings.

"You noticed it as well, Atsushi?" The latter nodded, and then continued with his snacks.

"He's completely smitten," the taller boy continued simply.

"Yes, he is," Akashi crossed his arms, and shook his head, "-what a troublesome child," he continued off handedly.

"What are you going to do, Aka-chin?"

Akashi stayed silent for a moment. As much as he had planned not to interfere and let the blonde figure this out on his own, he needed the model to be in top mental and physical condition for the upcoming tournament.

There were only two ways he could go at this.

Either he could get Tetsuya to out right reject him or-

"I'm going to grant his wish." Akashi said simply, passively, "I'm going to get him and Tetsuya together."

Akashi might be a little callous and personally against the idea, but he wasn't completely heartless.

A rejection was bound to leave the blonde moping for Lord knew how long. Dealing with a sulking Ryouta would literally be bad for Akashi's health.

"Mine-chin and Kise-chin, you mean,"

Akashi paused, raising an incredulous eyebrow. It was as close to a gape as you could get from the sadistic red headed captain.

"Daiki?"

Murasakibara nodded, mechanically chewing on his chips. Okay, maybe this was a little unexpected.

All right, this was completely unexpected. Ryouta's heart had gotten one over on him.

"Ryouta's in love with _Daiki?_"

The violet haired giant nodded again.

"Daiki," Akashi said again slowly, almost as if finding the idea itself a bit distasteful, "-how do you know?"

The other shrugged;

"I heard Kise-chin talking to himself in the locker room about how much he was an idiot for loving Mine-chin."

This was bad. So Ryouta was already at the 'talking-to-himself-when-he-thought-he-was-alone-but-really-wasn't' stage. Akashi would have to act fast.

"Well, that makes things a lot easier, though I do question Ryouta's odd taste in lovers-" Indeed, it was a lot easier to manipulate Daiki as compared to Tetsuya. Besides, if Akashi didn't know any better, Daiki was already quite fond of the blonde. Though the ace loved girls with big breasts and openly proclaimed it, Ryouta's charming and lovable personality definitely made up for his lack of female parts. Getting those two together _shouldn't_ be that much of a hassle. Well, unless Daiki had feelings as well and secretly wanted to turn his life into a dramatic soap opera by not even considering the blonde as a romantic partner, "-all I have to do is give them a _little shove_ in the right direction."

And by a 'little shove', he meant getting them together even if it involved drugging them both with extra powerful aphrodisiacs and locking them up in the same room.

"Oh, Aka-chin's going to play matchmaker?"

"I guess you could put it that way." And Akashi smirked devilishly, his mind already conjuring up various situations where he could put his plan into action.

Ryouta and Daiki were definitely in for a bumpy ride.

* * *

Three weeks.

It had been three weeks since he found out that he was in love; three weeks of having multiple sentimental break downs; and three weeks of trying to completely avoid the said subject of his unrequited admiration.

Kise wasn't sure when or how it happened, but by the time he realized it, it was too late. He had fallen; fallen so deep that his heart would ache unbearably every time he saw the tanned teen smiling or grinning or being overly friendly with a certain phantom player.

He knew Aomine and Kuroko were an item; heck practically everyone in the school was aware of that fact. Though it might not be official, and they might never kiss or show any sort of intimate affection in school, it was kind of obvious that were close, real, real close.

And Kise was just a nuisance who was getting in between them.

As much as Kise wanted to think that he had a chance, he knew he didn't.

In the first place, Aomine didn't even like guys; if he did then he was too engrossed with Kuroko to actually pay any mind to another male.

Kise would like to think that he wasn't malicious enough to hold a grudge against Kuroko-cchi for having someone he so desperately desired.

He could never hate the blue haired teen even if he wanted to. If anything, he absolutely adored the smaller boy; but the fact still remained that he would just get hurt every time he saw those two together.

Since he could never have what his heart yearned for, he tried to act like his feelings didn't exist; tried to act like he didn't catch his breath whenever the tanned teen so much as looked at way, tried to pretend that his heart didn't start racing whenever the ace smiled at him or casually slung and arm around him.

"I'm hopeless," Kise whispered, leaning back against the chair as his heart clenched agonizingly; just like it always did whenever he thought about how far out of reach the tanned ace was.

_Why do I keep hurting myself like this?_

He stared blankly the ceiling; trying to ignore the dull throbbing in his chest and the churning in his stomach.

Most people would cry if faced with such a predicament. It would lighten the burden on their hearts, and temporarily make the anguish fade away.

However, Kise was different.

He was strong; stronger than those people who couldn't deal with not having what they so desperately wanted.

He wouldn't cry; he wouldn't cry over Aomine-cchi. He wouldn't cry over the fact that the only person he ever loved would never return his feelings.

After all, crying and weeping never resolved anything.

No, he would stay firm. He would smile even if it felt like someone was crushing his heart with a boulder; he would never let Aomine-cchi know how he really felt.

Because that was the only way he knew how to cope with such a situation.

_Keep to yourself, and don't make the people around you worry. Carry your burdens and don't let them make you falter._

He would be strong.

He would be strong for his sake and for the people around him.

And maybe one day, he'd finally be able move on.

…

Then…why were his eyes becoming moister by the second?

Realization struck him and Kise quickly wiped the tears that had involuntarily brimmed at the corner of his eyes before they could fall.

'_Tearless grief bleeds inwardly, huh?'_

A humorless chuckle escaped from his throat.

Looks like he finally realized what that meant.

He wouldn't push his feelings on Aomine-cchi.

He would continue loving him quietly from the sidelines and hope that some day he would be able to let go; because this unrequited love of his would never bloom.

Kise sighed when he heard his stomach growl. What was he doing anyway, hiding in the classroom so he wouldn't run into those two?

Why was he so afraid of running into them?

_Because I don't think I could handle them being all lovey dovey in front of me. _

Was it better to be a coward than to get your heart broken?

_Yes, it was._

It didn't make him feel any good about himself but at least he could manage it.

His cell phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out f his thoughts as he slipped his hand into his pocket to take it out; flipping it open as the screen lit up with the new message he'd received.

And ironically so, from the same person who he was trying to avoid.

'_You, me; arcade and takoyaki after school. Be there or I'll throttle you._

_-Aomine'_

Kise read the message on the screen with a small, sad smile on his face.

He couldn't go. Kuroko-cchi would be there too after all, and then he would be the third wheel all over again.

No, he _wouldn't _go. Spending more time with Aomine-cchi would just life up his spirit; give him false hope, and it would end by crashing down him the very next day. Just like it always did.

_That_ was more painful then anything else.

His dexterous fingers quickly typed a reply and then he pressed the 'send' button. Placing his cell phone back in his pocket and knowing that Aomine would be fuming at the response, he silently turned to stare out the window.

He would never let Aomine-cchi know how melancholic he really felt. He would act normal, just keep his distance; try not to get too involved and hope he would eventually get over this.

Kise's stomach growled once again.

He sighed.

Really, what was he doing?

* * *

Aomine grunted as he lazily slumped against his desk.

The teacher was babbling something about Maths and numbers and how important this chapter was for the final exams yada yada, but the tanned teen could care less.

Right now his mind was occupied by a certain blonde model.

Despite what most people thought, Aomine wasn't dense at all. Actually, he was very perceptive most of the time. He could tell when someone was jealous of him, or was showing hostility towards him, or, as in this case, was trying to avoid him completely.

Aomine ruffled hair in slight frustration.

He couldn't fathom why the blonde was acting this way towards him. Had he done something wrong? Well, apart from constantly manhandling, verbally abusing and physically bullying the blonde, he was sure he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

So why was Kise avoiding him like he had AIDS or something?

Kise had stopped going home with him, stopped meeting with him between classes, stopped challenging him to one-on-ones and today, he didn't even show up at lunch. The only time they ever really saw each other any more was during basket ball practice. And even during that, Kise seemed distant and secluded.

It was daunting to say the least.

And even more surprising was that when Aomine had texted Kise to hang out with him after practice today, the blonde blew him off, saying;

'_Sorry, Aomine-cchi, I have work after school…'_

Aomine's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he recalled it.

Kise had never turned him down before. The model always made time for him no matter how busy or preoccupied he was. Aomine seriously felt like he had been rejected for some reason.

Honestly, if Kise was in front of him right now, he would grab the blonde and pummel him into oblivion for ditching him like that.

Here he was, trying to make up for anything stupid he might have done; but the blonde was disregarding him nonetheless! The nerve!

Though Aomine would never admit it out loud, he really did miss the blonde. He missed playing with him, hanging out with him, making fun of him; all the stuff they did together like stalking or even getting into street fights. Kise was like a presence beside him that he had really come to depend on.

He was a lovable idiot; one anyone would easily get attached to; one _Aomine_ had gotten really attached to.

And though he tried not to show it, it really hurt him that the blonde was acting so indifferent towards him.

But more than anything, it was pissing him off.

Who was Kise or anyone else to ignore him like that?! He was Aomine Daiki, dammit, the ace of the Generation of Miracles, renowned delinquent and troublemaker.

If Kise thought ignoring him wasn't going to have any consequences, then he had another thing coming-

"Aomine-kun would you mind coming up and solving this question on the board?"

Aomine looked up to find a grimacing sensei. Switching his gaze to the board he frowned in confusion.

What the hell was the Pythagoras theorem anyway?

* * *

After a hard day of practice and getting yelled at by multiple teachers, Aomine saw it fit to treat himself to takoyaki. Usually he would have Tetsu with him, but the blue haired teen had been asked to stay back specifically by their captain who wanted to have a 'word' with him.

Aomine shivered.

The look on Akashi's face at that time definitely meant that he plotting something again; something big and probably scary. Hell, he hadn't seen Akashi that excited in quite a while.

Aomine felt sympathy for the poor, unfortunate kid who had become a part of Akashi's freakishly fucked up plans.

Poor dumbass would probably wish he had never been born by the end of it.

Walking languidly to his destination, Aomine thought that he was really bored and that a nap would do him good.

Maybe he might just play some street ball after that; try to find an opponent worthy of his time.

It was only after he heard a familiar, loud laughter piercing through the relatively silent after noon that he stopped in his tracks and glanced into the park he was passing by.

There, on the set of swings was a familiar mop of blonde hair, opposite to an equally recognizable mane of green hair. The model was grinning, smiling, seeming like he was having the time of his life; like he didn't even remember that he had _lied_ to certain tanned ace.

Aomine's jaw tightened, his fingers curling into a fist as a feeling of betrayal washed over him.

_What the fucking hell?! Wasn't Kise supposed to be at work?_

….

Not far away, a certain red head peeking from a deserted alley smirked when he saw the whole incident.

"Phase one completed," Akashi clicked his tongue in satisfaction.

Things were _finally_ going according to his plan.

* * *

**Author's Ramble:** So yeah, new fic of my OTP from this fandom. This idea had been plaguing me for a while and I finally got around to typing it down. AoKise is love~ And Aomine's birthday is today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAI-KUN~~~~ 3

And Akashi, well, I completely and utterly a-freaking-dore him. He is so awesome~

I apologize for any mistakes; as usual, this is self-edited.

Tell, me if this fic is worth continuing or not and do leave a review~ Cyber cookies for all who do~


	2. Chapter 2

**Story: **The Tyrant Who Played Cupid

**Author: **animeg

**Rating:** T. Might go up in the future.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke. If I did, then I wouldn't be on fanfiction, now would I?

**WARNING: This story contains yaoi, i.e. MaleXMale. Don't like it, don't read.**

* * *

Aomine Daiki was absolutely and utterly calm.

And by absolutely and utterly calm, he meant emitting a deadly, dangerous aura that could almost rival the one hovering around Akashi.

"_Talk to him; I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."_

Aomine snorted in irritation.

He sometimes hated how Tetsu could always be so composed and rational and say things that would make Aomine feel like an overreacting fool.

Well, if Kise didn't have a good explanation; then the tanned teen was definitely going to smack him upside the head. No question there; but maybe talking civilly like the adults they weren't would help clear the tense, thick atmosphere that surrounded him and Kise whenever they were alone.

Yes, he had noticed it.

Kise had been acting really cold around him lately; talking to him only out of necessity; or when the situation absolutely demanded it. Even when Aomine started the conversation himself, the blonde was quick to end it in such a way that the ace didn't realize that he had been blown off until he pondered over it later on.

That was beyond odd considering that Kise was the type to blather on and on about useless stuff. He loved to keep the people he adored close to him; bombarding their ears with useless information like how he spent his day and what he felt about life in general.

When they were together, all Aomine did was nod and occasionally make a mocking comment to which Kise would playfully punch him on the arm and call him an insensitive jerk. Things were good that way. Aomine got used to it; liked it even.

That's why he wanted to make up.

He liked that idiotic blonde. He liked to spend time with that dumbass. Kise had waltz his way into Aomine's life and made himself an indispensable part of it.

And if getting him back would cost a bit of pride and a whole lot of embarrassment; then Aomine would do it; because a friend like Kise was worth it. Worth a little pride and a lot more.

However, despite trying to calm himself down, he still felt irritated, knowing that Kise would ditch him and prefer to hang out with Midorima, _Midorima _of all people instead.

The bespectacled teen wasn't exactly a joy to hang around. He was mean most of the time, asserting and treated most people, especially Kise like a complete idiot. Not to mention that he was a slave driver and liked to send people on errands for him.

Even a soft spoken and polite person like Tetsu had a hard time getting along with him.

It didn't help that Aomine had noticed that they had been getting closer and closer as of the late. Midorima had actually even willingly allowed Kise to hug him on one particular occasion which had left most of the people around gawking.

Aomine didn't like it one bit.

He didn't like that he was losing someone he considered to be a close friend to a complete sourpuss who had an unhealthy obsession with the daily horoscope.

So here he was, skipping class, coolly leaning against the wall and waiting for the bell to ring so he could catch Kise before the blonde ran off some place else.

Thank fully, he didn't have to wait long, the bell for lunch rang soon enough and the hall was flooded with scores of students, all rushing towards the cafeteria to avoid the infamous 'Japanese Lunch Time Rush'.

If Aomine wasn't as tall, or as strong as he was, he would have definitely been swept away by the wave. Poor Tetsu, Aomine sympathized. It must be hard for the poor, small, and barely noticeable boy to avoid being jabbed, dragged and pushed.

On second thought, Kuroko could probably feel up a girl's boobs and not even get noticed. Lucky little, bastard, no wonder he was always in a seemingly pleasant mood.

Shaking his head with a light chuckle, Aomine noticed, a bit belatedly that Kise hadn't come out yet.

This _was_ his class, right?

Maybe he was doing extra work for the teacher? Those female teachers always liked to make him stay back, anyway. To help them out.

'_Or stare at his ass.'_

With a shrug of shoulders, he extended his hand to the door and slowly slid it open…

…

Empty. Such a disappointment.

Aomine huffed in annoyance, sliding the door close before leaning against it, staring at the ceiling in deliberation.

Sly little bastard was proving to be really good at being unpredictable.

Either he was just coincidently not present, or he had somehow calibrated that Aomine would find him and to purposely avoid confrontation he ditched class too?

'_Is Kise even that smart?'_

Must be a coincident. Yes that was it. A mere coincidence.

No way Kise would go to such lengths to avoid him…right?

Right?

Aomine sighed. It was at times like this that he wished he could have someone beside him to give him all the answers. All this thinking and pondering was so annoying. It was beginning to give him a migraine.

He never thought this much even during an exam, dammit!

Grunting in frustration, the ace begrudgingly made his way to the cafeteria. He would try to catch Kise after practice today, no other choice left.

But what if Kise skipped practice too? He considered the possibility before shaking his head.

Nah, he didn't have the guts. Akashi would surely kill him if he did.

Giving up for the time being, Aomine leisurely strolled down the hall leading to the cafeteria like he owned it. He had left poor Tetsu alone with Satsuki; the blue haired teen was probably inwardly cursing him to Hell. She might have even suffocated the poor bloke by hugging him too tight.

He chuckled a little at the thought. At the imagination of how Satsuki would look flailing around, panicking and calling for help with a half-dead Kuroko sprawled over the floor…

The ludicrous thought didn't get the chance to linger before Aomine snapped out of his trance when his eyes fell on a familiar blonde figure standing a few meters away from him.

_Kise!_

The model was standing at his locker, looking to be deep in thought, with his lips pursed in contemplation and his hand idly scratching the back of his neck. He didn't even notice Aomine approaching.

Didn't even fucking flinch.

And though, Aomine was slightly pissed off at Kise's ignorance, a weird urge rose inside him on seeing his teammate. It was a weird desire, an undeniable craving; one he always got whenever the blonde was in sight, and one he always acted on without a second thought.

The urge to somehow harass the other and make him cry.

Oh, he was being mean. He knew it.

But only Kise could make him feel like this. Only Kise could bring out that hidden, childish part of Aomine that wanted nothing more than to perpetrate practical jokes with elfin delight, and relish in the reactions he got out of the people around him.

And usually; all too often, Kise was the one who was subjected to such harassment.

Lately, however, they had spent so little time together lately that Aomine hadn't gotten the chance to irritate his most favorite playmate and needless to say, he was dying to bully the blonde until his counterpart started crying.

Kise's reactions were always so melodramatic and fun to watch. It was always so entertaining; and it never failed to make the ace laugh.

Seriously, what he desperately needed right now, was something to lighten up his mood.

And with Kise looking so unsusceptible and vulnerable; Aomine could feel his anger deteriorating and being replaced with the equally strong need to be mischievous.

So, it was to hear the blonde scream at him and get a sense of normalcy out of it that Aomine slowly crept towards the unsuspecting model like a predator on prowl.

He quietly, swiftly situated himself directly behind the blonde and placed his index finger in his mouth effectively coating it with saliva…and then…

Promptly thrust the wet finger inside the other's ear, before twisting it to get it in deeper.

'_So much for talking like civil adults…'_

* * *

Kise had been minding his own business; wondering why Akashi-cchi had suddenly asked for his Mathematics notes and had been blissfully unaware of his surroundings. However, such obliviousness doesn't end well for everyone, unfortunately.

"Gahhh!" The blonde squealed, jumping a foot or three in surprise when something wet and icky was shoved inside his ear. The small hairs on his neck stood up at the sudden intrusion as his body jolted in shock, his shoulders going stiff as his racing thoughts tried to decipher what had happened to him.

"What the hell-!" He scowled immediately, instinctively twisting around to glare daggers at the uninvited intruder.

However, his glower immediately melted when he laid his eyes on a familiar lone figure looking at him with a teasing smirk. Deep hazel eyes clashed with mesmerizing azure ones and Kise's heart skipped a beat, like it always did when the ace came in his line of sight. His stomach churned uneasily, his muscles tensing out of habit as his way of coping with tough situations.

"A-Aomine-cchi!"

He backed up a few steps, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable, like a trapped mouse. However, his spine merely dug into the locker behind him, effectively leaving him trapped as the ace loomed over him, making him painfully aware of their close proximity.

His face was burning, he could tell, and his heart was pounding hard; hard enough that he could feel each beat in his ears.

"What are you doing- h-here?" Kise mentally cursed the hitch in his breath that made his voice falter into a small, meek squeak.

He had wanted to seem unaffected, or act normal at the least.

Aomine noticed it, raising an eyebrow but decided not to comment; choosing instead to grin broadly and thoroughly enjoy the blonde's apparent discomfiture.

And it was then, because of because of the small, haughty smirk on Aomine's face that Kise finally realized the extent of the damage that had _really_ been done to him in the past few seconds.

A look of horror took over his face; which was then promptly replaced by mortification.

"Don't tell me- Was that your spit? Eww!"

Kise placed his hands on the other's chest, ready to shove him away out of distaste.

What he didn't expect was for the tanned ace to grab his hand, entwine their fingers for a better grip and pin it over his head, leaving him in a submissive, defenseless position.

Kise blinked.

Aomine's face was close, close enough that he could feel the warmth of the ace's breath on his cheek.

"Aomine-cchi?"

A few moments passed in such a situation and Kise could feel himself flush even more. He wouldn't be surprised if he looked like a lobster right now, because if the heat in his neck and ears were any indication; his embarrassment was probably, literally showing on his face.

He felt scared, scared of what Aomine would think of his reactions, scared that his counterpart could probably hear his hear his heart beating out of his ribcage; and scared because the other would probably be absolutely disgusted by his feelings.

But his raging thoughts did nothing to stimulate his frozen body into moving.

Despite the sirens going through his head, prompting him to look away, to push the other away; to try to hide some of this shame; his body refused to listen; too enraptured by the intensity of those eyes that had captivated him from the very beginning.

He was so close…So close that he could feel the warmth of the ace's firm body against his own.

And when the tanned ace pushed a knee between his legs to get better leverage over him; all coherent thought flew out the window as Kise's frantic thoughts finally silenced.

"So, you've been awfully busy lately, huh, Kise-_kuuun_?" The way that Aomine drawled out his name signaled that he wasn't pleased.

It was weird, Aomine mused, that Kise was acting so docile like this. Usually, he would _whine _about how unfair the tanned teen was being. Seeing him so unnaturally silent and practically boneless was unnerving.

And then there was his expression; with his cheeks tinted with a deep hue of crimson and his eyes darting away, hesitant to look Aomine in the eye.

What the heck was that about?

"Erm…Aomine-cchi…C-can we talk about this somewhere else?"

Aomine followed the blonde's gaze only to find a group of girl, huddled together and snickering all the while pointing at them.

Aomine swore he could feel a vein pop out of his forehead.

"Fuck off!" He barked, momentarily letting go of Kise as he turned to glare at them menacingly with his fist balled and raised threateningly in the air.

They squealed at the reaction, quickly fleeing from the scene and leaving both the boys to their own devices.

Normally, he would have been at least a little courteous considering that they were of the fairer gender, but seriously, he had had enough of such distractions.

'_Now that, that's over and done with…'_

Turning on his heels to look back at his victim with a stern look, his eyebrow twitched when he found the blonde nowhere in sight.

And it was only after he heard the squeaking of shoes against the tiled floor and saw a blonde teen running down the hall like a maniac; that he figured out that his prey had seized the opportune moment and escaped from him.

Aomine let out a disgruntled, annoyed growl before breaking into a run.

He wasn't the ace of the Generation of Miracles for nothing; and of course in a few moments he had caught up to the blonde who was galloping forward at full speed.

"Why the hell are you running away from me, you dumbass?!"

"Because you're chasing me!"

"I'm chasing you because you're running away, dammit!"

After a sharp left turn and barely avoiding a group of crowding teenagers who looked on at the action with wide eyes; Aomine swore he would punch the daylights out of Kise when he got his hands on him.

Being the members of the basket ball club had its demerits as well; Aomine noticed belatedly, because Kise could run faster and had a lot more stamina as compared to normal people. Despite the fact that the blonde was panting heavily and his body was covered with sheen of sweat, he still looked like he was going to keep at it until the ace gave up on the chase.

Like hell Aomine would loose a challenge like this.

"Kise-" Aomine growled loudly, threateningly; a last sign of warning, "-if you don't stop right now, I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Of course such threats went onto deaf ears as the blonde continued running like a rabbit being tailed by a hungry wolf.

'_That's it.'_

And the thin line of the ace's patience finally snapped.

Being a power forward, Aomine was used to fast breaks and as his limbs sped up considerably, the people around him gasping as the drowned in a sea of blurry faces.

His only focus was the blonde.

Kise was so dead. He was deader than a dead fish that jumped out of its bowl.

Aomine was going to absolutely kill him-

"Wahhh!"

One moment Aomine was running after a certain blonde with the intention to kill and the very next moment he could feel something hard colliding with his knees making him loose his balance and stumble forward clumsily.

He couldn't tell what he had run into; he'd barely even seen it; but there was no time to contemplate over it as reached out to hold onto something; his fingers unfortunately meeting nothing but thin air.

Despite being as agile as he was, he couldn't control himself as he tripped over his feet and fell right into the blonde in front of him, taking them both down in a tangled mess of limbs.

"Kyaaa!"

The breath was knocked out of Kise's lungs when something huge collided with his back with high momentum, making him topple over as he lost his balance and fell face first on the floor with a loud, painful 'thud'.

Tears of anguish pricked the corner of his eyes when he felt his jaw, the side of his cheek and his exposed wrists scrape against the ground as they both slid forward due to excessive force before coming to a complete halt.

A few moments passed and Aomine was still in shock, with his face buried into curve of Kise's back and their limbs tangled in an awkward, chaotic mess. Slowly lifting his head, he looked up to see a completely deserted hallway and not a sign of life in sight. Well, that was until;

"Nghhh-" A small groan from below him made him bolt up as he realized what had really happened;

"Oh shit, Kise. Are you all right?!"

Aomine's concerned voice cut through the thick atmosphere and through his dazed mind; Kise could feel strong, powerful hands pulling him up sloppily into a sitting position.

"Ugh," He grunted at the ache in his exhausted legs and then the sudden piercing pain in his chin. He could feel an odd sort of warmth spreading there, something oozing out and covering his skin. Reaching up with his fingers to touch the wound, he pulled them away, only to find them covered with blood.

He blinked.

Oh, he'd hurt his face? What had just happened?

"Oh, shit! Shit! Shit! Oh, crap, I'm so sorry!"

Obviously on seeing blood, Aomine panicked. Not that he hadn't seen it before. He punched a few hoodlums hard enough to break a nose or a few teeth; but seeing the red liquid on Kise's face, his heart just suddenly dropped and temperature around him became colder and colder.

"Come on; let's get you to the infirmary," With that Kise felt himself being hoisted up; an arm snaking around his back to support him.

The blonde blushed, momentarily forgetting the pain as he looked up at Aomine's concerned face.

He'd never seen such an expression on the conceited ace before; and knowing that it was solely for him, his heart sore through the roof.

"Ah, I'm fine, Aomine-cchi. It's just a scratch-" He tried to dispel himself from Aomine's grip, because seriously, his heart would burn out if the other kept this; but he was pleasantly surprised when Aomine responded by merely tightening his hold.

"Dammit, its not a scratch! I'm not blind you know, I can see it!" He scolded. "-seriously what were you thinking. If only you hadn't run and just listened quietly to what I had to say, this wouldn't have happened. I don't know what happened. Some fucker tripped me and I-"

Kise looked on to the person he adored, the person who was rambling on nervously, trying to hide his apprehension.

'_So cute.'_

He'd probably get an upper cut to the face it he said that aloud.

Kise chuckled a bit.

He was tempted to make fun of the tanned teen (because such was the nature of their relationship) but he knew saying something unnecessary would merely ruin this magical moment; this moment when he could be so close to the person he loved and have the ace's undivided attention.

Just the two of them; alone, together and Aomine not acting like a total jack ass.

Yes, he cherished moments like these. Moments when he was reminded of why he fell in love with the inconsiderate brute in the first place.

Sure, he had always admired the ace; and that admiration had, over time, evolved into a deeper sort of affection.

He didn't just love Aomine's skill in basketball. No, Kise loved everything about him.

From the way he would smile subtly at the blonde's lame jokes, to the way he would lie back on the grass and stare at the clouds until he fell asleep.

Kise sighed as he leaned against the warm body and closed his eyes; feeling the physical pain being overwhelmed by an even greater sentiment.

Satisfaction. Love.

'_I really do love him…'_

He would never admit it out loud.

* * *

The door to the infirmary came far too soon; much to Kise's dismay.

And apparently…it was empty.

"Damn, where's that sensei when you actually need her for once?"

Aomine scoffed angrily; letting Kise sit on one of the beds and turning to the cabinets.

"I don't think we're allowed to do that…"

The blonde's statement was completely ignored as the ace kept rummaging through drawer after drawer.

Kise sat back, raising his arm to wipe the blood off of his chin which had effectively dribbled down his Adam's apple and down to the column of his throat; staining his white school shirt.

He winced a little as the place continued to throb; his fingers tracing his own cheek and he frowned when he felt the obvious bump there. He'd scraped his face.

Damn.

"Got the first aid kit," Kise barely had a moment to reminisce over how badly it would affect his modeling career before he found Aomine hovering over him; that concerned looked morphed into one of intense concentration. "Hold still, now."

Kise yelp when Aomine hooked a finger under his jaw and raised his chin, trying to get a closer look at the wound. A shiver ran down his spine at the corporeal contact, his body impulsively trying to reel back from touch.

He could feel the heat spreading across his cheeks once more. Just when he was starting to feel comfortable around Aomine; this sort of thing had to happen.

"I can do it myself," He whispered, averting his eyes from the ace's piercing gaze.

"Don't be stupid," The blue-haired teen berated silently as he dampened some cotton with alcohol, "-this will hurt just a smidge."

Kise hissed, flinching back when the alcohol made contact with his wound; but sat still for the most part.

Aomine moved his head even closer, his eyebrows drawn close together in concentration and his tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth, slowly running over his lower lip to moisten it before disappearing in that cavern once again.

Kise immediately averted his gaze, feeling butterflies' spring to life in his stomach when he realized that he'd been staring.

He held his breath, only getting even more anxious when Aomine cupped his face to get a firmer grip.

His heart started hammering against his chest as he felt those long, slender fingers brush against his skin in a gentle caress; a shiver of thrill running down his spine as each stroke sent warmth spreading across his flesh.

He could feel himself get more and more excited; like he was high on some sort of drug; and he was torn between wanting more of the touch and trying to escape from it and run away.

'_Calm down. Calm down.'_

He chanted in his head like a mantra; but it really wasn't working.

Having Aomine-cchi at such close proximity was making his brain go haywire.

Maybe that's why the undisputable desire to kiss the other rose inside the blonde. He'd been quiet about his feelings for so long; he had tried to deny it all, ignore it, hope it would go away and was just a phase in becoming an adult.

It wasn't. He had realized that eventually. He couldn't stop wanting this man.

And now that Aomine was standing so close to him, touching his face, his neck so tenderly, Kise couldn't help it as the urge rose inside of him.

'_I want to kiss him…'_

It was all because he couldn't think straight.

It was all because of the way Aomine-cchi was so worried about him, being so gentle and considerate towards him.

It was all because that somewhere deep inside, he hoped; he wished; he prayed that the ace might feel the same way, that all these sentiments that overflowed his being and made him feel light headed weren't just redundant.

"I'm sorry." Aomine abruptly ended Kise's line of thought.

The apology made the blonde's heart skip a beat.

"It's okay," Kise replied softly, finding joy in being treated so kindly by the person he loved, "-it was just an accident."

They fell into a monotone silence after that, with just the sounds of bandages being cut, and the blonde's occasional hisses filling the room.

"It's not deep enough for stitches, you'll live."

Kise beamed; trying to hide his disappointment when Aomine finally moved away, his skin still tingling from the aftermath of the ace's touch.

"I didn't know Aomine-cchi was so good at fixing people up. You should become a doctor!"

Aomine 'hmphed', shaking his head in the negative.

"Oh please; everyone has at least basic knowledge of this stuff. Well, maybe except you-"

"Hey!" Kise pouted. He wouldn't admit to that accusation.

"Besides-" Aomine smirked at the blonde's reaction to the mockery, "I don't wanna be a doctor. They have boring lives. Seeing patients and listening to their sob stories all the time, with having nothing better to do."

"That's not what Midorima-cchi says-" Kise was, unfortunately, oblivious to the way Aomine's mood darkened considerably at the mention of the bespectacled teen. "-He says it's an exciting job. You know, it's his dream to become a doctor. And considering how brilliant he is, he might just become a great one. Though he would have to brush up on his people skills bit."

The blonde chuckled a bit.

Midorima-cchi was known to be quite mean and cold; but the truth was that he was just being tsundere. The amount of time Kise had been spending with him lately proved that. Midorima, despite having a cold, stoic outward stance really did care about other people. Though it was hard to get along with him at times since he had a very practical and pessimistic view towards life; he wasn't a bad person at heart. A bit up tight sure, but apart from that he was nice enough.

Besides he was awfully talented, just like the other Generation of Miracles. Kise admired him for that.

"You…ah-" Kise looked up when he heard the ace make an uncharacteristic short pause, "-you two have been spending a lot of time together, huh?"

"Have we? I didn't notice," The lie came out so naturally that even Kise was shocked at how nonchalant, how convincing he sounded.

He looked away, drawing his knees up on the bed and encircling his arms around them.

The sudden with drawl made Aomine take a few steps back; and the tension arose around them once again. The atmosphere became thick, and uncomfortable; one which wasn't supposed to be surrounding two good friends.

The still air had almost become suffocating.

It was at moments like these that Aomine felt like he couldn't understand the other at all; like Kise's true sentiments were miles apart; so far that he couldn't even reach them lest try to understand them.

This had been the cause of his uncertainty; the way Kise became so distant all of a sudden, refusing to open his heart to other people.

But Aomine had had enough of this.

He had enough of this kind of attitude from Kise. If the blonde had a problem with him, he should stop beating around the bush and say it out loud.

"Oh really?" Aomine scoffed, sounding rather bitter, "-well I think you should have noticed 'cause you ditched me for him yesterday didn't you?"

Despite the guarded expression on Kise's face, Aomine didn't miss the shock that flickered through those hazel eyes.

"You saw-"

"Yeah, I did." Aomine cut him off, making the blonde go eerily quiet.

A few more moments passed in silence, and Aomine grimaced in realization.

'_So much for having a good excuse, huh?'_

"I'm sorry. I'd already made plans with Midorima-cchi before you asked-"

"So you lied about the job part?"

Kise looked up at him, silently pleading him to drop the topic. But Aomine remained adamant in his stance, looking down at the blonde stubbornly.

"Yes-" Kise sighed, finally submitting to his counterpart, "-I knew you'd get mad if I told you the truth-"

"I'm not mad-" Aomine stated indifferently; but the way his eyebrows knitted together stated otherwise. He would never admit it but he felt annoyed that Kise would brush him off so easily. Weren't they friends? Didn't they know each other better than anyone else?

"You are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Are we really going to do this?" Aomine sighed exasperatedly.

"You started it."

"Did not."

"Did too-"

"Kise-" Aomine warned; making the blonde bark out a light hearted laugh.

The corners of the ace's lips quirked up when he heard the sound. It had been a while since he heard Kise's contagious laugh and needless to say; he missed it.

He'd missed it, being together like this, joking around like idiots. The feeling of being at complete ease with another person you completely trusted.

He really had missed Kise.

"So we're good?"

Kise smiled at him, "Yeah, we're good. We were always good, Aomine-cchi."

That's what he had wanted to hear; that regardless of all the shit they went through, regardless of all the fights, the arguments, they would still remain friends.

"So you up for movie after school? Tetsu already got tickets and afterwards we can-"

Aomine stopped in mid-sentence when the smile on Kise's lips faltered; replaced by a calculating, hardened expression he couldn't fathom.

"What, you can't make it?"

"I-I've got something to do for the sensei so…"

The friendly atmosphere vanished once again when Aomine heard the reply.

The tanned teen's expression darkened in agitation.

"Stop lying to me."

"Wha-"

"Stop lying to me or I'll punch you," Aomine's voice sounded grave, threatening, like he really was going to go through with it if the blonde didn't comply.

"I'm not lying-"

"Yes you are!" Kise flinched at the ace's raised voice as Aomine gritted his teeth in anger.

Lies.

Kise was lying to him again. Was this how superficial their friendship really was? Could Kise not even trust him enough to tell him the truth?

And it was out of rage and impulse that he blurted out the question he had been dying to ask and trying to avoid at the same time;

"Tell me the truth. Why have you been avoiding me?!" He saw Kise's eyes momentarily dart towards the door, and acted quickly before the blonde could escape.

'_Trying to run away are we?'_

The next few movements passed in a flurry when Aomine flung himself over the model, effectively trapping him.

"L-let go, Aomine-cchi!" Kise struggled beneath him, trying to push him away. The action merely caused Aomine to snarl as he strategically pinned the model to the bed with his weight.

Kise had never resisted him before. He had never tried to fight back, and this new development was unnerving.

He smirked indignantly, eyes directed at the blonde's distressed face.

"What? Did I sleep with your girlfriend or something? Don't tell me some whore is the cause of all this."

The sentence itself was said out of resentment really. It didn't mean anything. It was just spewed in anger to get a reaction out of the blonde; however, what Aomine didn't expect was the result that followed.

Kise suddenly went rigid, stopping his retaliation mid-way; and staring at the ace with such a face that Aomine suddenly regretted saying it all in the first place.

…

It was the last straw.

Kise had had enough.

His heart had had enough.

And if the ace would just let him go, he might just leave with some of his dignity in tact.

He hated himself; hated it when he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes, hated it because he couldn't do anything to stop them from beading at the corner of his eyes, ready to overflow; hated it because he could help but showing this disgusting weakness to the person he loved most.

His chest felt constricted, like someone was stomping on it with one foot and crushing his heart until he could no longer breathe. All ideology, all resolve, all determination went out the window, overpowered by the strong sentiments that he had always denied even existed in the first place.

For the first time, he wanted to run; run away from it all; run away and hide like the coward he had always been.

He'd heard from the others before, about Aomine's flings, about the rumors that people saw him making out in the library or a classroom; but hearing it from the ace himself was painful on a whole other level.

It was ironic really, that while he was staring at the ceiling all night long, thinking of the ace, spending hours on end without any sleep; the latter was having fun, rolling around in bed with a girl and having the time of his life.

He hated it.

"Get off me," The blonde whispered, his eyes covered by his bangs so Aomine couldn't see his expression, "Get off me, now!"

Aomine scoffed, but tightened his hold. He wanted to end this once and for all.

"I don't know what I did to make you mad, okay? I'm trying to make up for it?! So stop acting like such a fucking douche, Kise!"

Kise fell silent, avoiding Aomine's eyes; but when he did speak, it merely confused the ace more than ever;

"You're being unfair, Aomine-cchi," It was for the first time that Aomine noticed that his shoulders were shaking weakly, "-you're so unfair…always acting like the victim…"

"The hell are you talking about-"

The words on Aomine's lips died out when Kise finally looked up.

Was Kise…crying?

The next seconds were ones in which the whole situation finally made sense.

Aomine's gasped, his eyes widening comically as the blonde tentatively craned his neck upwards and covered the ace's chapped lips with his own plump ones.

Kise poured all his feelings into that kiss; his uncertainty, his love, his affection and his hurt; all the sentiments that he couldn't get across to the ace verbally. Even now he was sure that Aomine-cchi wouldn't understand the depth of his feelings, but it was a desperate last attempt; one that would decide the future of their friendship.

Aomine didn't respond in the least, too taken aback by the sudden action as mind went blank, his body stiffening up as he stared disbelievingly into his partners closed lids.

'_Kise's kissing me…?'_

He could feel the blonde's anxiety; his uncertainty as Kise gently nipped at his bottom lip, trying to coax him to respond to the model's bold action. However, Aomine stood rigid, flabbergasted and dumbstruck as the blonde finally moved away when it became apparent that his action wasn't going to be reciprocated.

That was the last blow, and the tears he had tried so desperately to hold on bay cascaded down his cheeks, leaving wet trails on his skin.

Kise knew he was crying. He never wanted to seem weak in front of the person he loved; but he was loosing it…

Hearing that Aomine had slept around with other girls had driven a wedge in his heart. It had hurt him. Hurt him so bad that he could barely breathe.

He wasn't prepared for it…That the love of his life was slowly drifting away further than ever and that other people could touch him, kiss him and satisfy him in a way that Kise never could…The feeling became consuming…

Aomine-cchi had to know. He had know…

"I-I tried so hard…" His voice cracked when they parted, breath coming out in soft sobs, "-I didn't want you to hate me…" He sank his head in the juncture of the ace's neck; hands clutching the other's shirt as his frame shook uncontrollably, seeking comfort.

Aomine didn't respond, didn't push him away, just lay there for a few moments that seemed to last a century.

And though Kise had always been mentally prepared for those words; it completely shattered what was left of his pride, his heart and his feelings when those words were uttered in reality;

"I'm sorry, Kise. I don't feel the same way…"

It had all been in vain after all…

* * *

In accordance with their captain's latest order, Kuroko had been trying to find the nurse's office and check on his teammates' progress.

Akashi had told him about his plan and had asked –demanded- his assistance; something which Kuroko was reluctant to give.

He had warned the captain that no good could come out of playing with people's feelings, especially those as fragile as love and admiration. It would be better to leave the two to figure it out on their own.

When Kise-kun would feel confident enough, he would confess.

However, Akashi had been confident about his plan; like he was about all his other dealings and the shadow was left with no other choice than to comply. He just hoped that everything had worked out for the best…

Kuroko was taken aback when a certain blonde rushed past him at an unbelievable speed, but he could recognize that familiar form anywhere.

"Kise-kun!" He called out, but it seemed as if the blonde didn't hear it because he didn't falter even in the slightest, just kept running until he reached the end of the corridor and then made a sharp turn. "-oh no, this isn't good." he murmured quietly to himself.

The blue-haired teen hurried to his destination.

On arriving, he quietly peered past the infirmary doors, only to find a certain ace sitting on the bed, curled in on himself with his head in his hands.

Even from here Kuroko could tell what had happened.

Quickly he fished out his phone and made a call.

"It didn't work, Akashi-kun. Kise-kun was rejected…"

…

There was a loud snap, followed by the dial tone and the line went dead.

"He's probably furious," Kuroko muttered to himself as he drew his phone away from his ear, snapping it shut before sighing.

The Generation of Miracles were, indeed, a troublesome batch.

* * *

**Author's Ramble:** Hello everyone and here's the next installment of this story. First of all, I would like to thank all those who reviewed, favorited and put this story on alert. *bows* Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support! I love you guys! *glomps everyone*

Ehem.

A-anyhow, this chapter was bit awkward to type; I haven't written anything dramatic like this in like…ever, but I tried my best to ensure that the writing was in a smooth flow.

Akashi didn't make an appearance in this chapter, but rest assured the next few chapters will majorly revolve around him and his devious little plans.

Apart from that, I will try to update this story every two to three weeks. I don't get ANY time at all to even think from Monday to Thursday; so I'll tackle the chapters on the weekends.

This chapter was really long (it's like over six thousand words) so tell me if there was too much unnecessary detail; what and what not.

Like always, reviews are most appreciated; and so is constructive criticism.

I'll see you guys in a bit, till then, take care and good luck with school. Ciao my lovely readers~ :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Story: **The Tyrant Who Played Cupid

**Author: **animeg

**Rating:** T. Might go up in the future.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke. If I did, then I wouldn't be on fanfiction, now would I?

**WARNING: This story contains yaoi, i.e. MaleXMale. Don't like it, don't read.**

* * *

'_What am I doing?'_

Midorima Shintarou had lost count of how many times he had repeated that question in his head, in the last five minutes.

His indecisiveness itself was odd considering the fact that he was a person who never acted without thinking about the consequences of his actions. It was the only way he could make sure that he would have an unregretful future.

Like in basketball, he never made a shot until and unless he was a hundred percent sure that it would go in the basket; thus adding to his credibility as the 'Number One Shooter' of the Generation of Miracle.

Most people would call it being paranoid and unreasonable; he called it being careful.

So, all in all, he could only blame himself for ending up in a precarious situation like this in the first place.

Seriously, he blamed his curiosity for all this; his curiosity and his cowardice of not being able to say 'no' to his captain.

Although saying 'no' to Akashi would fall more in the category of stupidity since anyone who denied the redhead was in for Hell; nonetheless, it was at times like this that Midorima wished that his knees wouldn't tremble in fear whenever his captain looked at him with that pointed gaze and pursed lips, as if silently saying 'if-you-say-no-you-will-regret-it-deeply'. He cursed his own weakness, and though he would never admit it out loud; he often found himself too intimidated by his captain to voice out his retaliation.

He just simply nodded his head; tried not to look like he wanted to run away and get Akashi's orders over with.

Through the time he had spent with Akashi; playing basketball, playing Shogi; Midorima had developed a weird sort of respect for the redhead. He respected the man's foresight, his confidence, his ability to lead such a dysfunctional team to victory and his undeniable talent of plotting strategies against his opponents.

However, all too often, Midorima found himself getting apprehensive of the captain's ideas. Though he never doubted Akashi's ability to perfectly execute his plans; he questioned the captain's approach when the redhead made _him_ a guinea pig to carry out his ideas.

Like right now.

"_Ryouta's closest to you in the team, next to Tetsuya and Daiki. And since he won't talk to either one of them, it's your job to make him feel better. Make him open up to you; he needs some emotional support right now." _

Whenever he recalled the conversation that led to him being stuck as acting like a pillar of comfort for the blonde; he would be tempted to face palm at his own fearfulness in saying 'no' to his captain.

In all honesty, the bespectacled teen was sure that there was more to those words than what met the eye.

The seemingly innocent smile on his face when Akashi said those words had sent shivers down Midorima's spine, and it was a gut feeling that told him that he wasn't going to come out this unscathed.

When he had heard about the rejection; the whole story, he swore his jaw had dropped so low that it would have hit the floor had it not been attached to his skull. It had shaken up Midorima; because really, he hadn't even seen it coming.

Not that he was against homosexuals in any way (he could care less, really); but he never viewed Kise as one despite the blonde's tendency to be overly touchy feely with everyone who was close to him. Besides, he got confessed to by girls on a daily bases, so one wouldn't even consider doubting his sexual orientation in the first place.

Regardless, what's done was done and now it was better for Midorima to pay attention to the job at hand; to try cheer up the idiot blonde no matter what.

He had seen Kise discreetly heading for the roof that morning, but he hadn't been able to catch up with the teen due to some tasks his teacher had put him up for. And since he hadn't seen the model at all afterwards, he was pretty sure the small forward must have been cooped up here all alone; wallowing in self-pity.

He wasn't really sure what he would see though. What if Kise was sitting in a corner, crying his eyes out? What would Midorima do then? Comfort him? How the Hell was he supposed to comfort him anyway? He'd read those stories in which people would 'comfort' each other by being intimate all of a sudden.

Would he have to do that?

He physically shuddered at the thought, and was almost tempted to abandon his mission before Akashi's words ricocheted in his mind once more;

'_I'm counting on you, Shintarou. Don't mess up.' _

Taking a deep breath, and a moment to gather his bearings, he reached out to the cool knob of the roof door and turned it, pushing the door open. Unsurprisingly, the door wasn't locked, and its wooden frame easily slid open at the force.

The bespectacled teen steeled himself for anything he might have to face as he hesitantly stepped inside; the cold air caressing against his skin and making him shiver slightly.

For all his pondering and worrying, what he hadn't really expected to see was the blonde in such a vulnerable position.

Kise was sprawled a few feet away across the floor like a dead weight; with his sweater folded neatly and placed under his head to give his skull some comfort from the hard bricks.

He was sleeping. Not lamenting in his pain, not wailing or crying or sobbing; just peacefully sleeping; like a feline who was tired after a hard day of prowling.

He looked uncomfortable though; curled up in on himself like that, with his legs closed tight and an arm draped over his eyes to shadow them from the piercing light of the afternoon sun.

So this was his solace; Midorima thought; sleeping on the ground, under the open sky with birds chirping and hovering around him. This was his genius method of dealing with a heart breaking rejection.

Well…it could have been worse…

After all, Midorima hadn't seen much of Kise in the past two days, even though both of them attended the same class.

At first, he thought Kise was taking a holiday and staying at home since he'd been skipping practices too; but then during a lecture, his eyes had darted towards the door when a certain blonde had passed by and Midorima had discovered that the model was attending school; just not attending classes.

Undoubtedly, this pissed him off to no end.

Sure Kise was having an emotional breakdown and an identity crisis and all; but that didn't give him an excuse to skip lectures whenever he felt like it.

By the end of the term, he would have a failing grade and once again, Midorima would be stuck tutoring him instead of enjoying his winter break on Akashi's orders just like last year.

Akashi; that man was going to be the death of him one day. Why the Hell was he always stuck babying Kise whenever such circumstances transpired?

Akashi probably had something up his devious little sleeve again; something in which Midorima would probably regret getting mixed up in later.

But for now, there was no other choice. He had to follow his captain's orders no matter what.

So it was, with a deep breath to calm his nerves that he sauntered towards the snoozing blonde,

"Oi, Kise, wake up."

He prodded the blonde's motionless body with his foot, trying to get the boy to wake up without having to go through the trouble of bending down and shaking him awake like some house wife sweetly waking up her husband in the morning.

Midorima almost gagged at the thought.

When Kise didn't show any intelligible response, didn't even freggin' flinch; Midorima's mind, for some odd reason (probably because of the soap opera he was watching last night), abruptly came to only one possible reason.

Kise had committed suicide.

He had probably ingested a whole bottle of sleeping pills and had chosen the roof as his death bed. There was probably even a will written somewhere in his bag.

It could be possible…

Besides, Kise had always been a sucker for those tragic love stories in which the man would kill his mistress and then kill himself. Did Kise try to reenact one of those? So that Aomine would be consumed with everlasting guilt for playing a role in forcing his good friend to take his own life out of melancholy.

Was Kise really seeking vengeance like this? Was he really idiotic enough to kill himself? End his life just because of a little draw back?

The roof after all was a perfect place to commit such a heinous act. If Midorima recalled correctly, there were even rumors floating around about a girl who slit her wrists on this very roof top because of parent's divorce a few years ago.

Though she survived, and got out of the hospital a few days later, her spirit is said to have haunted it since then; and she is said to possess the people who have suicidal tendencies and make them, jump off from the railings, for example.

This roof was known to cause people to do stupid, pathetic things.

And Kise was the king of pathetic-ness, in general.

Midorima wasn't panicking. Of course he wasn't; the reason his hands were sweating was because it was too hot, not because he was having a near heart attack and a steady incline in blood pressure.

Oh crap, if Kise had killed himself, then Akashi would blame Midorima for not being better emotional support. Midorima would probably have his practice menu tripled, or God forbid, quadrupled even, for the rest of his middle school life…No! He wouldn't be able to live through that!

So it was out of fear for his own being that Midorima jabbed his foot into Kise's ribcage with all his might.

To his pleasant surprise, his action resulted in a painful groan as the blonde sputtered, shaken by surprise and finally rolled to his side, arms clutching at the abused body part in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"Midorima-cchi! What did you do that for?"

That high pitched whine was music to the bespectacled teen's ears as he let out an inaudible sigh of relief; his heart rate calming down considerably.

The dumbass was still alive. Thank God. Midorima was saved.

'_That was for trying to give me a heart attack at such a young age.' _

However, he wisely didn't say that out loud. After all, Kise would have a field day if he found out that Midorima was actually worried for his safety.

Now that he got a good look at the model, at his weary expression, at his pale skin, at his dark-rimmed, swollen eyes; the green-haired teen could actually feel something akin to guilt fan to life in his being.

Kise looked like shit. He looked worn-out, exhausted, and just plain pitiful.

He could imagine why Akashi sent him to the blonde's aid. Despite acting like a ruthless person, Akashi was quite caring when it came to his teammates. However, that still didn't justify was Midorima was the one who had ended up trying to make the blonde feel better. If anything, he would probably make the blonde even more depressed than before.

After all, he wasn't good with dealing with the complexity of other people's feelings or sympathizing with their pain.

Akashi should have done this himself.

"I think you deserve that much for skipping classes all morning," Midorima stated blatantly, as he came up with the excuse, "-sensei asked me to locate your whereabouts and inform you that you missed the test that was going to make twenty percent of your grade in Maths," the green-haired teen sat down, glaring balefully at the model, "-are you deliberately trying to fail this time around? I won't tutor you, you know. You can just go to Hell if you think I'm going to spend my winter vacations with you!"

And…Maybe that came out a little harsher than Midorima had intended it to, because Kise visibly flinched at that comment.

"So mean, Midorima-cchi," He complained, before leaning back against the wall, his hands crossed behind his head, "I'm not trying to fail. I just couldn't study last night. I opened the book, stared at the first page for two hours; couldn't get anything written on it, so I gave up and ate ice cream instead."

He said that in a rather cheerful voice; so jovial that Midorima had to momentarily contemplate whether there was something wrong with him at all or not. He seemed all right; whiny, cheeky, like he usually was; unaffected by the world or the severity of that fact that he had skipped classes three consecutive days in one week.

His parents were probably going to hear from the teachers.

"Aren't model's supposed to go on a calorie restricted diet? The only thing good about you is your looks. If you loose those you'll end on the street; homeless because you would have no other potential career options."

Instead of getting angry or retorting back nastily, like a normal person would, Kise just smirked at that, looking at Midorima with playful eyes. Midorima liked that about him; that he never took anything to heart.

"Well then, I'll just stick around at your place then. Mooch off you as much as I can-" The model trailed off, looking thoughtful, as if he had already planned to do that from the very beginning.

"No way, I'm not letting you anywhere near my place when we grow up." Midorima denied immediately.

"Aw, don't be so stingy. I can make a mean Hotpot you know? It'll be good for parties."

"You haven't even moved into my place, and you're already thinking of wrecking it with your vandalism behavior."

"Aw, don't worry, we'll clean up before the kids get home, you know." Kise patted Midorima on the back, making the latter cringe.

"Another words about kids, and I will throw you off this roof, just you see."

"Then Midorima-cchi will be in jail for murder. How do you think that would make our kids will feel? That their daddy went on a rampage and killed mommy?"

"…"

"Haha! I'm just joking. Our kids will forgive you, don't worry. That is if they inherit that quality from me!~"

….

"Kise."

"Yes, honey?"

"Shut up."

And with that Midorima sat down beside him, opened his book and _pretended_ to read, trying to hide the obvious blush working its way on his face, as the blonde tried to control his peals of laughter.

Of course during that time, he was actually coming up with a plan; wondering how to get the blonde to talk about the matter with Aomine.

On first appearances, to everyone, Kise seemed like the type of person who was as easy to read as an open book. But experience with being so close to him; being with him on the same team; spending countless hours after school and occasionally walking home together had taught Midorima otherwise.

Kise was one of those people who are never what they seem.

Despite always having a smile on his face and playing around every now and then; Midorima had first hand experience of what lay beyond that jubilant exterior; the rage and the bitterness that Kise always hid from other people.

Midorima still shuddered when he recalled those third years that had pushed Kise around on one of his bad days a few months ago.

It was a disaster. There would probably have been broken bones had Aomine not intervened and dragged the blonde off before any more damage could be done.

Kise, when the situation called for it, could be as ruthless and detached as they came.

The horoscope was right when it said that Gemini's were double faced.

And sometimes it was so prominent that Midorima actually had to wonder whether Kise an evil twin that just wanted to watch the world burn.

And just as they lapsed in an eerie silence, Midorima felt more uncomfortable by the second.

He wasn't used to taking the initiative in starting a conversation about a certain topic since usually, Kise did all the talking. Midorima just had to go along with the flow, pretend he was listening until he had had enough and barked at Kise to 'shut the hell up and go die!'.

Then again, Kise could never remain silent for long intervals of time, so he just _had_ to speak up.

"I wonder what could have been so bad that Midorima-cchi felt the need to check up on me."

The sudden mischievous grin covering blonde's face made Midorima's eyebrow twitch.

"Don't get in over your head-," he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose by the back of his bandaged hand before continuing, "-I was merely passing by, and saw you lying down. I was hoping you had died."

Kise put a hand on his heart, dramatically gasping before putting on a pout.

"Aw, Midorima-cchi's so cruel to me."

"Idiots like you who take life so lightly and get everything they want should be treated as such."

It was rather cold, Midorima admitted. However, he had no idea how cheer Kise up (did he even need cheering up? He seemed perfectly fine!), or encourage him. Neither of them had 'heart-to-heart' conversations before, and Midorima was cursing Akashi to the depths of Hell to give him such a tedious task.

He was just doing this on Akashi's orders; otherwise he would have never gone out of his way to console that idiotic blonde when he was moping…right?

Right?

"-get everything they want, eh?"

The bitter, cold chuckle that followed cut through the thick atmosphere like a sharp blade.

"You give me to much credit Midorima-cchi," And with that Kise reached out to his bag, stuffing all the books that were scattered around, back inside, "-I don't always get what I want, quite the contrary-," He smiled acrimoniously as he broke off, looking for the right words to say to his bespectacled partner, "-I often find myself to be too much of a coward to pursue what I really desire."

It was weird to see such words followed by a grin but Midorima knew better than to question it. Kise had always been like that; self-sufficient and independent. He never trusted people enough to let them know what was really going on in his mind.

Or maybe it wasn't about trust at all. Maybe he just felt that it was useless to talk about his problems to people who could do nothing about it.

Midorima could relate to that. The reason he was always so reserved was because he never wanted anyone to be too involved in his life, enough that he would actually start to miss them if they ever actually disappeared.

"Well, I'd better let you have some private time with your book."

And with that he strapped his bag on his shoulder as he got up, dusting his clothes free from all the dirt on them. "Later Midorima-cchi," He sang, raising a hand up in farewell.

Maybe Midorima was just dwelling too much on it. Maybe there was nothing deeper behind those words;

"What exactly do you mean by that?" He finally decided to ask.

Kise paused at the door, turning as he looked back.

He pondered over it for a few moments before his lips curled up in an enigmatic smile.

"It means that, sometimes, it's better to give up like a coward and quietly turn away instead of trying to pursue something you don't have a chance of attaining."

As the door smacked shut Midorima couldn't help but think that Kise was definitely more complicated than he pretended to be.

* * *

He felt dead.

His heart felt dead.

It felt like someone had hollowed out his insides, leaving behind a mere empty shell in its place.

'_You always play around, Ryouta. I wonder what would happen if you actually fell for someone…'_

These were the words of an old friend of his. At that time, Kise believed that 'falling for someone' was out of the realm of possibility for him.

No one had ever caught his attention; no one had ever made him want to be with them.

No one had ever made him trail after him like this.

No one had ever broken his heart like this either.

That man was a lot of firsts for Kise.

His first idol, his first crush, his first love, his first kiss.

There were so many people around him all the time, wanting him, desiring him;

His mother had told him that once; that he was too obsessive and tenacious about some matters. That he would poke and probe at anything that he found intriguing, keep at it insistently, like a small boy scratching a scab over and over again just to see if blood would come out again; and then he ended up reopening that healing wound all over again.

He was tired really. Tired of smiling all the time, tired of keeping up this façade. But if he didn't, people around him would get worried; like Midorima-cchi a while ago.

While he may deny it all he wants, it was obvious, he was there to try and comfort the blonde.

And it worked a little bit too; Kise felt in a better mood after teasing him like that. Midorima's expressions were always so funny, especially when he got flustered like that. Sometimes he even started stuttering, and at that point Kise would have hit the jackpot.

He was selfish.

He realized that now.

He had people around him who were worried for him, yet he wasn't giving a damn and making them worry even more. Even with Kuroko-cchi, innocent Kuroko-cchi, who had never done anything to hurt him and had always helped him especially when he first came into this school; instead of being obliged of having such a person by his side, Kise was avoiding him, silently feeling animosity towards him.

He thought, every now and then that Aomine would never reject Kuroko so instantaneously, that he would never sever their relationship of Light and Shadow no matter how bad things got.

And just that thought made him fell so bitter. And then Kise hated himself for being so malicious in the first place.

He felt like there was a hole inside of him; hole that he desperately needed to fill with _something _or that abyss would swallow him whole.

He needed to move on, focus his feelings on something else, console himself, because this was _bound _to happen from the beginning; he had just been too optimistic, too fucking hopeful to see it. He should probably go up to Aomine, pretend like it was a joke, and maybe they could retain some of their friendship instead of just ending it like this.

But did he really want to play this game of 'Let's Pretend', knowing that he would be the one getting hurt by the end of it?

'_No, it's better if he knows. It's better that everything is out in the open. It's better that I don't have to hide it anymore.'_

But in the end, the thought didn't _make_ anything better…

* * *

Akashi Seijuro prided himself in being a wise and formidable leader.

Another thing he was exceptionally good at was being stubbornly persistent. The reason for many of his victories was because he never gave up, rather he persevered until and unless everything had been laid out according to his plan.

That little rejection issue had been nothing more than an unexpected set back, nothing more; nothing less. Something as trivial as that was not going to stop him from achieving his ultimate goal;

Getting Ryouta and Daiki together.

Through careful consideration, Akashi had finally realized where he had gone wrong.

His strategy had been a risky one. Of course Daiki would have responded in such a negative way considering the fact that he had been running after breasts for the better part of his life after puberty; obviously, the idea of liking something that was lean, muscular, tall and as manly as him would be rather alarming for him to consider.

And then the confession itself was rather sudden and unexpected. It must have shocked the Hell out of him; resulting in that insensitive response.

All hope was not lost. All Akashi had to do was conjure up a new plan wherein he could get those two to spend some private time together, figure out their feelings and finally come to an agreement that would be good for the whole team.

'_The team.'_

Akashi's clicked his tongue in annoyance at the thought.

His team, his perfectly organized, inseparable, incomparable unit was now starting to loose it's defined edge.

Usually they played in a synchronized manner; with perfection that showed countless hours of hard, intense training that would leave all of them sore by the end of the day. Being the captain; being the point guard; it was his responsibility to make sure that the team performed their absolute best.

If they were lacking, it was his fault. If they were uncoordinated, it was his fault. And if they were unorganized; the blame still fell on his shoulders.

Normal people would try to worm out of such a huge responsibility. However, there was a reason Akashi was made the captain of such an extraordinary team. He, himself, was no ordinary person who would back out just when things got intense.

So now it was his job to return things to normal. To restore harmony between that idiotic couple would be a feat; but Akashi wasn't one to turn away from a challenge. He would face everything head on.

So, here he was, sitting in the library, reading a dating magazine.

Don't get him wrong. The only reason his last plan back fired was because he did not have enough knowledge about how relationships worked. Hence, the solution laid, therein him getting more educated on the matter.

"Tip number thirteen; the best way to consummate your relationship with your partner is to spend some quality time together. Talking to each other; sharing your feelings and thoughts will also avoid many oncoming misconceptions."

'_Talk about your feelings?'_

What a load of bull.

These were guys, manly guys who reveled in their masculinity. Talking about their 'sentiments' and 'insecurities' over dinner wasn't the way men handled situations. The way men handled situations was bonding over a good game of basketball; screaming profanities at whosoever was lacking and then having a burger on the way back.

Obviously, he couldn't expect Daiki and Ryouta to have a heart-to-heart while doing each others nails.

Just-no. The image itself was scarring.

Regardless, Akashi was finding himself in a pinch.

Sighing, he sank into his seat, pursing his lips at the absurdity of it all.

The best way would be to be direct, order them both to stay back after practice and figure it out.

However, Akashi considered himself to have more finesse than that. Besides, it was fun to manipulate people. It made him feel in control.

So instead of going with the direct approach, he was going to figure out a way to get them together without them ever figuring it out. It was for the best; and would prevent things from getting too awkward in the team.

"Akashi-cchi? What're you doing here?"

On hearing the familiar voice, Akashi froze momentarily before his body relaxed and he took a deep breath; craning his head back with a slight swivel of his chair he acknowledge the source of his problems itself;

"Ryouta," Akashi supposed that he should be offended by the amount of surprise in Kise's voice. Obviously, people came to the library to study, "-if it isn't obvious enough yet, I'm doing some research. What about you? Shouldn't you be shooting hoops right about now?"

Usually Kise would be practicing in the courts in his free time, always practicing to beat Aomine. Right about now, both of them would normally be having a one-on-one in the gym.

"Well, I wanted to, but the second strings players were already having a match and I didn't want to intrude."

'_Liar. You just saw Daiki there and didn't have the courage to face him and decided to hide instead.'_

"They're not letting you play?" Akashi smirked a little as he got up from his seat, an insidious look in his eye, "-I shall accompany you; give them a little piece of my mind as to what I think about them sending off a starter when he wants to practice."

"No-no! No need! Please Akashi-cchi, sit down! I wanted to read-a-a book anyway! Kuroko-cchi recommended it to me!"

'_Lies again. You're not talking to Tetsuya at all these days, are you?'_

But the read haired captain wisely chose not to comment and, instead, merely shook his head at his underling's dishonesty as he sat down once again.

Kise gave him a shaky smile, taking the seat across him before his eyes fell on the books lying haphazardly across table between;

"Woah!" Kise exclaimed exaggeratedly, earning him a sharp "shush!" and a disapproving glare from the librarian taking rounds to make sure there was absolute silence. With a soft apology and a sheepish grin; Kise turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "Dating magazines? What are you doing with these?" Kise held one up, skimming through the pages until he was satisfied that the content inside was, indeed, about how to 'woo your boo'. "Don't tell me Akashi-cchi likes someone?" The model leaned in closer to his captain, eyes wide and expectant and lips curled in a small smile. "-tell me who it is!"

Maybe Akashi was just a little amused by Ryouta's child-like curiosity. The boy was endearing, to say the least and maybe it was unfair of Daiki not to give him a chance. The blonde would definitely fulfill his prerequisites for a lover better than any other girl could. Besides, his blind love and admiration for the ace made him more suitable to put up with the tanned teen's intolerable nature which would leave any girl frustrated within a mere few days of dating him.

Getting them together would be the best for both of them.

"It's nothing like that. This research was being done to help a friend."

"Akashi-cchi has friends?"

The blonde actually had the audacity to chuckle at the exasperated, annoyed expression the captain made.

"Haha, sorry sorry, I was just kidding." The blonde continued between giggles.

Akashi sighed. Well, if he got mad over every little thing his teammates said, then he might as well have kissed his sanity good bye a long time ago. These guys had really taught him how to be patient.

"So what, you're friend's having love problems?"

Ryouta placed his chin on his fist, his elbow resting on the table as he peered at the captain curiously.

"Yes. Poor thing just got rejected a few days ago."

And if Akashi wasn't as observant as he was, he probably would have missed the way the blonde teen tensed momentarily, his spine straightening from the sudden jolt that ran through his body.

'_How very perceptive of you, Ryouta.'_

However Kise did what he did best; he smiled to hide his discomfort.

He could feel unease growing inside of him, his mind screaming at him to run away, because really, he did not want to talk about this with his captain of all people. He might have been able to avoid the topic of conversation as far as Midorima was concerned; but he couldn't up and leave Akashi of all people in the middle of a conversation.

He didn't know if he would have his head still intact by the end of it.

And then there was this small part of him, this tiny part of him that was just tired of holding up the burden all by himself and was just dying to spill it all out to someone; someone he trusted, someone he knew wouldn't take advantage of his feelings.

He just wanted to vent out all his frustrations; all his sadness all the sentiments that had been plaguing him ever since the man he loved broke his heart. He wanted good advice, he wanted to be consoled, he wanted someone to come over and give him a hug and tell him everything will be fine by the end of it.

But he didn't have someone like that by his side.

He didn't want to trouble people with his problems.

He was so angry at everything; but first and foremost at himself; because he was stupid enough to confess in the first place.

Now the man he loved was probably disgusted by him. And what was worse that while he was slowly becoming an emotional wreck, Aomine didn't seem affected by it at all. In fact the teen had kept at his daily routine; playing basketball all the freggin' time.

They hadn't seen each other at all during these few days, and Kise had realized that he had always went out of his way to find Aomine; spend time with him, talk to him; make him aware of his existence.

But it was all vain in the end…because Aomine wasn't really affected at all by Kise absence…

He was probably happy…that he didn't have to meet with the blonde and get things awkward all over again.

…

Akashi pursed his lips as he saw different emotions flicker over Kise's face, and he sat patiently, waiting for the blonde to reorganize his thoughts and finally come to his senses.

He almost regretted bringing it up now. The moisture accumulating at the corner of Kise's eyes clearly signaled that the blonde obviously hadn't come to terms with the rejection.

Regardless, he had to proceed.

"My friend is an idiot-" Akashi continued, looking as stoic as he normally would, "-he complicates things more than they should be complicated-"; the redhead was happy when the blonde looked up from his lap, face contorted in pain and beautiful hazel eyes watering with the tell tale signs of tears. Good, he was finally throwing off his mask and being truthful for once, "-the solution to the problem merely lies in him talking to his partner. They're good friends. They'll figure something out."

"What if he doesn't want friendship anymore? What if being friends just hurts him now?"

Kise had diverted his eyes once again, suddenly finding the bookshelf beside him of massive interest.

'_Whatever, he's comfortable with.'_

Maybe it was wrong on many levels; but Akashi was finding Ryouta rather endearing right now. This awkwardly honest, insecure Ryouta in front of him, who was indirectly asking for his assistance, fidgeting in his place and not meeting his eyes, was far more adorable then the confident, cocky Ryouta he saw everyday.

"Friendship eventually escalates into love-" This time Akashi leaned in, eyeing up the blonde with a predatory grin, "-all they have to do is reconcile; and I'm sure that eventually my friend will make the person he loves fall for him. My friend is rather charming, you see. Besides, even you have to admit, a confession out of the blue can only end in disaster-" Akashi paused, pondering over the right words to use, "-especially when the person you're trying to woo is a dense idiot who has nothing on his mind but basketball."

In all honesty, Akashi was relieved that the conversation had gone smoothly so far. By now he half-expected the blonde get up and runaway. After all, the redhead had driven him into a corner and laid all the feelings he usually hid so well across the table for the whole world to see. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see the blonde's eyes light up at his words, a small smile on his face.

"He really is. Isn't he?" The way Kise's expression softened on mentioning Aomine left Akashi a bit unsettled at how much the ace had control over the blonde's delicate feelings. He ignored it nonetheless. "-but what if he hates me Akashi-cchi? He's probably disgusted by me now." The blonde finally turned to look the captain in the eye.

Akashi had come to the conclusion that Ryouta, when depressed, had a knack for getting his own hopes and dreams down and wailing in self-pity. The masochistic idiot probably liked all the pain he bottled up from such redundant thoughts.

"If he hated you, he wouldn't have come to me seventeen times to ask whether if I knew where you were. He's been wanting to talk to you. You're the one who's been avoiding it."

Since they shared the same class, Aomine had been taking every opportunity he could find to ask the captain the model's whereabouts. He'd been even more worried when Akashi had announced that Kise had been exempted from practice for three days.

"B-but-" Kise stuttered, obviously dumbfounded by the revelation, "-he didn't come to look for me even once."

"Apparently, you are really good at playing hide and seek. Even I wouldn't expect to find you hiding at the library," If anything, Akashi felt rather accomplished as he got up when the bell rang.

With a smug smile, he walked towards the entrance, feeling satisfied that he was still right; and that he won against Ryouta's indecisive feelings.

Pausing mid-step, he turned around, "-oh, and Ryouta, you're three days of exemption are over. If you are not present for practice today, I _will_ have your head on a stick."

Hearing the small squeak of fear from behind him, Akashi smiled smugly and he continued on walking.

Fuck dating magazines. He could handle relationships just as well.

* * *

Kise Ryouta was nervous.

No he wasn't just nervous, he was a nervous _wreck._

Sure talking to Akashi-cchi had let up his mood considerably and he was feeling confident with what he had to say (after all he had spent rest of the day writing it all down on paper and practicing it repeatedly); however the moment he stepped into the gym, all that confidence flew out the window.

Now he was all shaky in the knees. Not only would he have to confront Aomine-cchi, he would have to talk to Kuroko-cchi as well!

And he had purposely been avoiding Kuroko so much lately that he felt like an ass now. It was even more nerve wrecking than taking a Mathematics exam!

'_Breath Ryouta. Breath. Everything will be all right. You can do this. You can get yourself out of the mess you've gotten yourself into. No sweat. No sweat. Just breath. Everything will be fine'._

"Kise?"

Apparently, all that 'mentally bucking yourself up' didn't work as well as Kise thought it would because as soon as he heard that familiar voice, he jumped a foot or three into the air.

"Aomine-cchi!" That came out in a rather uncharacteristic, breathy tone. And as soon as he looked at the ace, he really wished he hadn't because Aomine looked absolutely ready to fucking _murder_ him.

He gulped down the lump in his throat.

He _so _wasn't prepared for this.

* * *

**Author's Ramble:** Terribly late, I know. I apologize orz. But seriously, I was having such a hard time with Midorima! I lost count of how many times I re-wrote his and Kise's conversation on the roof; then I reconsidered just cutting it out and leaving it for another day. But I need Midorima eventually so might as well tackle his character right now. If you haven't realized it yet, yes, there are subtle hints of AkaKise in this fic. Because, I really like that as well.

More importantly, thank you for all the reviews and the favorites! I was so overwhelmed by all the support and I felt incredibly guilty that I couldn't update it sooner. I'm so sorry everyone. (;_;) But I hope you liked this chapter, and expect more Aokise interactions soon…:D

I apologize for any grammatical errors as well since this is, as usual, self-edited.

Anyhoo, the next update should be in about a month (during winter break) because I have Mid-terms and my scholarship depends on my grades. If I don't get three "A's", I can kiss my scholarship goodbye. And A Level in no joke, especially Chemistry and Physics. And then there is SAT prep as well...*sigh* The things I do in hopes of getting into a good University…

Do leave a review guys, it makes me happy to see what you think of this story!

Well, until the next update, ciao! ^.^


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